Duke SEOW Sieu Jin

Oversea Chinese Banking Corp., Penang / Ho Hong Bank / Raffles Institution

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https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitsb...

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•Occupation: Banker •Note: Duke Sieu Jin SEOW (1907 - 1958) Chinese language newspaper "Sin Chew Jit Poh" published an article on 26th July 1971. "SEOW SIEU JIN - A SECOND GENERATION BANKER" by Chen Wei Long. The following is a translation into English Mr. SEOW Sieu Jin's great-grandfather was from Jin Jiang Province, China; his grand-parents both lived in Malacca, but his father SEOW Poh Leng and his mother TAN Lark Neo, were brought up in Singapore. His father SEOW Poh Leng, had started the Ho Hong Bank Ltd., together with LIM Beng Sian, Dr. LIM Boon Keng and others. Mr.SEOW was born in on 23rd January 1907 and received good home education from his early childhood. When he was older he joined the Anglo-Chinese school and later transferred to Raffles Institution where he graduated in 1923. Mr.SEOW's parents were musically accomplished, so he and his siblings were gradually influenced and most of them were good at singing and playing musical instruments. At the 'peace celebrations' held on November 11th 1918, he and his younger sister Betty sang together at the Victoria Theatre, "If you were the only girl and I were the only boy!", then a popular song. Their performance was excellent and won the applause of the audience. After graduation he was taken by his father to Shanghai and entrusted to the care of his father's good friend K.P. Chen. He was rigorously trained at the Shanghai Commercial and Savings Bank which had been founded by Mr. C.P. Chen. After completing his three years training in Shanghai he returned to Singapore and soon after that he left for London to join the Midland Bank and simultaneously enrolled for a Banking Course at the Institute of Bankers. Having completed his assignment in London he returned to Singapore in 1931 where he began work at the Ho Hong Bank, which subsequently merged with the Chinese Commercial Bank and the Overseas Chinese Bank to form the Overseas Chinese Banking Corporation Ltd. (OCBC) From 1935 to 1936 he was appointed Manager of the Seremban Branch of OCBC. And from 1937 to 1941 Manager at the Ipoh Branch of the Bank. On 8th December 1941 when Japanese forces intruded southwards he returned to Head Office by road, with all the cash from the bank's strong-room. By this time his wife and children had been evacuated to Australia to take refuge so he was free from worries for their safety and his children continued their education in Australia. After the War he was made Manager of the Penang Branch, 1946 to 1954. During this period Penang proved to be the best performing Branch. Meanwhile, performance at the Shanghai and Hong Kong Branches were declining. From 1954 to 1958 he was made Regional Manager of the Hong Kong Branch with K.C. Chen, Sek Tean and Chew Chin Bee to assist him. In June 1958, he visited Singapore prior to being reassigned to Head Office and one day at lunch he collapsed and immediately taken to hospital where he was diagnosed to have colon cancer. He was operated on successfully but succumbed to post operative pneumonia ten days later, He was 51 years of age. Singapore and Malaysian banking systems are patterned after that of the United Kingdom. Those who had passed the banking courses offered by the English Institute of Bankers had the best qualifications in the banking profession. Mr. SEOW was one of the first in Singapore and Malaysia to have acquired these qualifications. He also received training at the most modern commercial bank in China - Shanghai Commercial & Savings Bank, and he received the guidance of his father. He was indeed progressing smoothly towards the highest goal in banking, -General Managership . He achieved his ambition when he was young , but he was modest. When I met him in the 1950's he sighed that that many 'first-class' talented people had left (Singapore) and only the 'second-class' and 'third-class', like himself had stayed. He was very co-operative with his colleagues and was both kind and generous towards his subordinates. He was popular everywhere and remembered after his death. Mr.SEOW had learned to play tennis from his father and received a good foundation for the game. By the time he took charge of Seremban and Ipoh Branches his tennis skills had matured. He represented both Negri Sembilan and Perak in inter-state matches and held his own. He won the Perak open Doubles Championships partnering Leong Choon Khean and Lim Thiam Tet respectively in 1938 and 1939. And the Perak Open Singles Championships in 1940. After the War he turned to golf with a relish making rapid progress and played to a handicap of 9. He was Captain of the Penang Golf Club. He was also a Rotarian in both Ipoh and Penang and very active in social work. In 1931 he married an English lady in Singapore who bore him four children 1. Gordon Li Ming, 39 years old this year, a law graduate, now working at SHELL. He is married with three children. 2. Rodney Kok Ming, 36 years old this year, an Engineer. He was Champion at the 1965 K.L. Grand Prix; 1967 Malaysian Grand Prix; and 1967 Singapore grand Prix. He is presently General Manager of Capital Motor Co. He is married and has three sons. 3. Jacqueline Mei Yuk, 34 years old this year. Educated in Penang, Hong Kong and Switzerland. She is married and has a son and daughter. 4. Philip Chung Ming. 30 years old this year. His father was far sighted and sent him to study hotel management in Switzerland. After graduation he managed several hotels in Singapore and Malaysia. He is currently Vice-President (Operations) for the Goodwood Group. He is married and has a daughter. •Note: Background

Seow Sieu Jin (1907 - 1958) was a prominent and successful Singaporean banker brought up in a banking family, trained in China and England and was an important contributor to the growth and development of the Overseas Chinese Banking Corporation (OCBC) during its early years.

Seow Sieu Jin's great-grandfather was from Jinjiang, China and his grandparents from Malacca but his father, Seow Poh Leng and mother Tan Lark Neo (also spelt Tan Luck Neo), great-granddaughter of philanthrophist Tan Tock Seng, were both brought up in Singapore.

Early Years

He was born in 1907 and in his early years, was educated at home. He went on to study at the Anglo-Chinese School and then the Raffles Insitution, graduating in 1923.

His father then took him to Shanghai, there to be rigorously trained at the Shanghai Commercial and Savings Bank under the his father's friend, K. P. Chen, the founder of that bank, into whose care he was entrusted.

After three years of training and a short visit with his family in Singapore, his father took him to London where he simultaneously joined the Midland Bank as one of its staff and took up the banking course at the Institute of Bankers.

Anyone who had passed all the banking courses offered by the English Institute of Bankers had the best qualifications in the banking profession and Seow Sieu Jin was one of the first in Singapore and Malaysia to have acquired these qualifications.

He also received training at the most modern commercial bank in China at that time, the Shanghai Commercial & Savings Bank, and he received the guidance of his banker father.

Banking Career

Four years later, around 1930 or 1931, he graduated and returned to Singapore and in 1931 or 1932, he joined the Ho Hong Bank which had been founded by his father, Seow Poh Leng, together with Lim Peng Siang, Dr Lim Boon Keng and others.

After its amalgamation with the Chinese Commercial Bank and the Overseas-Chinese Banking Corporation Ltd (OCBC), Seow Shiu Jin continued to work at the new bank. He was manager of the Seremban branch (1935 to 1936), manager of the Ipoh branch (1937 to 1941), manager of the Penang branch (1946 to 1954) and then returned to the head office in Singapore in 1958.

He is credited with bringing back the "premier branch" status to the Penang branch, outstripping the performance of the Shanghai and Hong Kong branches.

Upon his return to Singapore he collapsed during lunch, was operated on for colon cancer, but died ten days later, at the age of fifty-one, due to post-operative pneumonia.

Seow Sieu Jin achieved his ambition, the highest goal in the banking profession at that time, general managership, when he was young, but he was a modest and unassuming man. He referred to himself as "third-class" when lamenting the loss of "first-class" talented people who had left Singapore, creating a brain drain at the time.

He was popular everywhere and was remembered after his death as being co-operative with his colleagues and kind and generous towards his subordinates.

The Sportsman

Seow Sieu Jin learned more than banking from his father, he also learned the game of tennis and for many years both these gifts were interconnected. His game skills had improved greatly by the time he took charge of the Seremban and Ipoh branches. He even represented and held his own at Negri Sembilan and Perak in inter-state matches.

In 1938 and 1939, he won the Perak Open Doubles Championship partnering Leong Choon Kheam and Lim Thiam Tet respectively and the Perak Singles Open Championship in 1940. After the war, he turned to golf with a relish, making rapid progress and reducing his handicap to 9. He was captain of the Penang Golf Club.

The Performer

Both his parents, were musically accomplished, so it followed that he and his brothers and sisters were gradually influenced, and most of them were good at singing and playing musical instruments.

At the Peace Celebrations held on 11 November 1918, Seow Sieu Jin and his younger sister, Betty Seow Guat Beng (later Mrs Lim Koon Teik), sang "If you were the only girl in the world and I was the only boy!" then a popular song, at the "Victoria Theatre". Their beautiful voices and excellent performance won the applause of the audience.

His Family

In 1921 (sic.) Seow Sieu Jim married an Englishwoman, Margaret Gwendoline Simkin, in Singpaore, who later gave birth to three boys and a girl:

(1) Gordon Seow Li Ming (1932) studied law, worked at Shell Eastern Petroleum (Pte) Ltd where he retired from after 30 years with the Company. He joined the Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1988 and served two terms as Commissioner for the Republic of Singapore to Hong Kong (1988-1994). He is an independent director of various companies, an avid golfer, and is married and has three children.

(2) Rodney Seow Kok Ming (1935) graduated in mechanical engineering London. He worked for Sime Darby, Singapore Motors / Capital Motors Assembly, General Motors & Sanden. He won the Singapore & Malaysian Grand Prix in 1967. He is married, has four sons and a daughter.

(3) Jacqueline Seow Mei Yuk (1937) was educated in Penang, Hong Kong and Switzerland. She has a son and a daughter.

(4) Philip Seow Chung Ming (1941) was sent to Switzerland to study the hotel business by his far-sighted father. After his graduation, he was manager of several hotels in Singapore and Malaysia and was director of the business department of the Goodwood Group. He is married and has a daughter.

Seow Sieu Jin was a member of the Rotary Club in Ipoh and Penang and was very active in social work.

Notes/Sources:

Newspaper Article: Seow SIEU JIN - A SECOND GENERATION BANKER by Chen Wei Long, Sin Chew Jit Poh, 26 July 1971

Jeffery Seow's ancestry/family tree research interviews.

Lim Peng Siang or Lin Bengxian (1872 - 1948) was a Straits-born Chinese who together with his brother Lim Peng Mao (Lin Bingmao), through their Ho Hong Group of companies, had interests in banking, shipping, parboiled rice, oil mills, cement, coconut and other businesses. President of Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce from 1913 to 1916 except for 1914 when he was Vice-President. He had close ties with the Hong Kong Fujian Chamber of Commerce and he and his brother Lim Peng Mao (Lin Bingmao) were listed as honourable chairpersons of that association between 1930 and 1941. Member of the Chinese Advisory Board between 1921 and 1941. His Ho Hong group built circa 1910 was the most diversified group in Malaya at the time.

•Change Date: 8 SEP 2010 at 12:20:01